Apparatus for automatically starting a rotatable member at predetermined positions sequentially

ABSTRACT

An indexing mechanism for playing a plurality of messages on a phonograph record sequentially by stopping the record at predetermined reversely-rotated positions following playing of each message. A first stop on the record engages a third stop on a carrier frictionally coupled to the record for movement thereby during reverse rotation until a second stop interrupts movement of the carrier with the record coincident to movement of the third stop into the path of travel of the first stop. The carrier again moves with the record during forward movement thereof to move the third stop out of the path of travel of the first stop when the next message is played.

United States Patent Stern et al.

[451 Apr. 25, W72

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY STARTING A ROTATABLE MEMBER 7 AT PREDETERMINED POSITIONS SEQUENTIALLY Inventors: Howard R. Stern, Anaheim; James E. Marshall, Westminster; Thomas E. Sloane,

Jr., Redondo Beach, all of Calif. Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

Filed: Feb. 27, 1970 Appl. No.: 14,924

US. Cl. 274/9 R, 274/1 A, 274/ l 5 Int. Cl .G1lb 27/l0, G1 1b 3/78 Field of Search ..274/1 .1, 9, 15

[56] References Clted UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,371,934 3/1'968 Duncan et al ..274/1.1

Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick [5 7] ABSTRACT An indexing mechanism for playing a plurality of messages on a phonograph record sequentially by stopping the record at predetermined reversely-rotated positions following playing of each message. A first stop on the record engages a third stop on a carrier frictionally coupled to the record for movement thereby during reverse rotation until a second stop interrupts movement of the carrier with the record coincident to movement of the third stop into the path of travel of the first stop. The carrier again moves with the record during forward movement thereof to move the third stop out of the path of travel of the first stop when the next message is played.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 3,658,346 sum 10? 4 W MM PATENTED APR 2 5 I972 irraz/w/ APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY STARTING A ROTATABLE MEMBER AT PREDETERMIN ED POSITIONS SEQUENTIALLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains generally to the field of indexing mechanisms for controlling the position of a member sequentially and more particularly to such a mechanism which causes a phonograph toy to play a plurality of messages sequentially.

2. Description of the Prior Art US. Pat. No. 3,245,688 discloses a phonograph toy having indexing means movable into engagement with the record member for indexing the record member to a predetermined position, whereby, upon repeated operations of the phonograph, a plurality. of discrete sound sequences are reproduced in a predetermined order.

The instant invention exemplifies improvements in indexing means of the type described in said US. Pat. No. 3,245,688.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for automatically starting a rotatable member at a plurality of predetermined positions sequentially.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved indexing means of the type described in US. Pat. No. 3,245,688.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for automatically starting a rotatable member at a predetermined position including first stop means carried by the rotatable member, friction coupling means engaged with the rotatable member for movement thereby, second stop means for stopping the coupling means after a predetermined amount of movement with the rotatable member, third stop means carried by the coupling means and means moving the third stop means into the path of travel of the first stop means coincident with the engagement of the coupling means with the second stop means.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an indexing means of the type described which includes a fixed channel controlling the path of movement of a friction coupling engaged with a rotatable member.

According to the present invention, a phonograph toy is provided with an indexing means movable into engagement with a phonograph record member having a plurality of discrete sound sequences provided thereon for reproducing the sound sequences in a predetermined order.

The indexing means includes a first stop means carried by the record, friction coupling means engaged with the record for movement thereby, second stop means for stopping the coupling means after a predetermined amount of movement with the record, third stop means carried by the coupling means and means moving the third stop means into the path of travel of the first stop means coincident with the engagement of the coupling means with the second stop means.

The means for moving the third stop means into the path of travel of the first stop means includes a fixed channel receiving the second stop means for controlling the path of travel of the third stop means. The channel is configured to move the third stop means into and out of the path of the first stop means sequentially at different positions of the record.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a phonograph toy in combination with an indexing mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the indexing mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, with parts broken away to show internal construction, of the phonograph toy shown in FIG. 1 with the indexing means in a first operating position;

FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to FIG. 3 showing the indexing means in a second operating position; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the indexing means in a third operating position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, apparatus for automatically starting a rotatable member at predetermined positions sequentially, hereinafter referred to as an indexing mechanism 10, is shown herein, for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, in combination with a phonograph toy 12 includes a housing 14 having a lower housing half 16 and an upper housing half 18.

Lower housing half 16 includes a bottom wall 20 provided with a cylindrical cavity 22 journaling the lower end 24 of a turntable spindle 26 having an upper end 28 joumaled in a hollow boss 30 depending from the upper wall portion 32 of upper housing half 18. A turntable 34 is formed integrally with spindle 26 from a suitable metal material and includes a peripheral belt groove 36 and an upstanding annular flange 38.

A phonograph record 40 is suitably affixed to turntable 34 for rotation thereby and is provided with a plurality of discrete sound sequences recorded in suitable interleaved grooves, as indicated at 42 in FIG. 2 for an outer set of sound sequences 44 and at 46 for an inner set of sound sequences 48. As shown herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, the outer set of grooves 44 carries four sound sequences having lead-in grooves 50, 52, 53 and 54, respectively (FIG. 3) extending to the outer peripheral edge 56 of record 40 and equally spaced circumferentially thereabout. The inner set of grooves 48 is also provided with four sound sequences having lead-in grooves 58, 60, 62 and 64 extending into an unrecorded annular area 66 (FIG. 2) lying between sets 44 and 48 and circumferentially spaced around annular area 66 opposite lead-in grooves 50, 52, 53 and 54, respectively. The outer set of grooves 44 each includes a suitable lead-out groove, like the one shown at 68 in FIG. 2, extending across the unrecorded area 66 into a suitable silent groove portion 70 extending a short circumferential distance along the outer periphery of the inner set of grooves 48.

Sounds recorded in grooves 42, 46 are reproduced by a sound reproducing apparatus 72 (FIG. 1) including a speaker cone 74, a tone arm 76 and a stylus 78. Speaker cone 74 is mounted in an opening 80 provided in top wall 32 and is covered with a suitable speaker grill 82 having a depending annular flange 84 frictionally engaging an upstanding annular flange 86 encompassing opening 80. Speaker cone 74 is connected to tone arm 76 by a piston 88 slidably mounted in a cylindrical collar 90 affixed to the apex 92 of cone 74 and is biased into engagement with tone arm 76 by a compression spring 94 having a first end (not shown) bearing against a peg 96 depending from speaker grill 82 and a second end (not shown) bearing against piston 88. Spring 94 presses stylus 78 into engagement with record 40 with sufficient pressure to assure satisfactory contact therewith. Tone arm 76 is swingably mounted on an upstanding post 98 carried by bottom wall 20, as shown in FIG. 3, and carries a cross-piece, 100 maintaining tone arm 76 in contact with piston 88 during swinging of tone arm 76 from the outer periphery 56 of record 40 to the inner periphery thereof.

Referring now more in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, turntable 34 is driven by a clock spring 102 having a first end 104 (FIG. 3) anchored to housing half 18 and a second end 106 (FIG. 2) anchored to a spring arbor 108 rotatably mounted on spindle 26. During the unwinding of spring 102, energy stored therein rotates Spring arbor 108 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, imparting clockwise rotation to turntable 34 through the gripping action of a one-way clutch including a roller 110 mounted in an arcuate recess 1 12 provided in arbor 108 and having a narrow throat portion 114 which wedges roller 110 into engagement with spindle 26 when arbor 108 rotates in a clockwise direction and a wide throat portion 116 which releases roller 110 from spindle 26 when arbor 108 rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Arbor 108 may be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to wind spring 102 by pulling a drawstring 118 having one end 120 affixed to arbor 108 through an annular block 122 affixed to arbor 108 for increasing the torque arm through which drawstring 118 operates.

The angular velocity of turntable 34 is controlled by a governor 124 having a spindle 126 connected to turntable 34 by a belt 128 for rotation thereby. Governor 124 includes conventional weights 130, 132 biased inwardly by springs 134, 136, respectively. Governor 124 is rotatably mounted inside a cylindrical housing 138 having an encompassing side wall 140 engageable by weights 130, 132 when they are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force. Roller 110 is disengaged from spindle 26 during rewinding of spring 102 so that governor 124 will not exert a drag on drawstring 118.

Referring now more in particular to FIGS. 1 and 3, tone arm 76 is connected to drawstring 118 in such a manner that drawstring 118 will return tone arm 76 to the outer periphery of record 40 when drawstring 118 is withdrawn to wind spring 102. Tone arm 76 then engages a post 142 which connects upper housing half 18 to lower housing half 16 and also serves as a tone arm stop for playing the outer set of grooves 44. When it is desired to play the inner set of grooves 48, phonograph 12 may be rotated 180 from its FIG. 3 position causing a gravity-actuated tone arm cam 144 to rotate from its FIG. 3 position to a position where a tone arm stop 146 provided thereon lies in the path of travel of tone arm 76 causing it to stop adjacent the outer periphery of the inner set of grooves 48. Cam 144 is pivotally mounted on a pin 148 depending from a cross bar 150 provided in housing 14 and is pivoted by gravity due to a weight 150 carried by cam 144 causing it to swing until a cam stop 152 engages a post 154 affixed to a rib 156 in housing 14. When the tone arm cam 144 is in its FIG. 3 position, the outer set of grooves 44 will be played sequentially each time drawstring 118 is operated because the indexing mechanism permits a certain amount of reverse-rotation of the turntable 34 during rewinding of spring 102. The amount of reverse rotation permitted is sufficient to bring lead-in grooves 50, 52, 53 and 54 sequentially under stylus 78 when it is returned to the outer periphery of record 40.

When phonograph toy 12 is rotated 180 from its FIG. 3 position, tone arm stop 146 is engaged by tone arm 76 when drawstring 118 is operated to stop tone arm 76 with needle 78 at the peripheral position oflead-in grooves 58, 60, 62 and 64. Indexing mechanism 10 will also cause these lead-in grooves to be brought into position under needle 78 sequentially.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, indexing mechanism 10 includes a slip clutch 160 including a clutch plate 162 having a plurality of upstanding fingers 164 engaging notches 166 provided in spring arbor 108 for connecting clutch plate 162 thereto. Clutch plate 162 also includes a plurality of upwardly sprung wipers 168 frictionally engaged against a disc 170 connected to turntable 34 by annular flange 38, for transmitting counterclockwise reverse rotation from spring arbor 108 to spindle 26 and turntable 34 until turntable 34 meets sufficient resistance to overcome the frictional force exerted by wipers 168 on disc 170. This resistance may be caused by the engage ment of a first stop member 172, which depends from turntable 34, with a third stop member 174, which is carried by a friction coupling member 176 frictionally engaging turntable 34 for movement thereby. Coupling member 176 includes a flat plate portion 178 which is provided with an elongated opening 180 (FIG. 2) encompassing spindle 26 between an annular land 182, which is provided on bottom wall 20, and another annular land 184, which is provided on turntable 34. Plate 178 is prevented from wedging between land 184 and the upper edge 186 of cylindrical cavity 22 by a pair of flanges 188, 190 which extend along the edges of opening 180.

Coupling member 176 includes a pair of upwardly sprung fingers 192, 194 each of which carries a friction pad 196. The friction pads 196 engage turntable 34 for transferring motion from turntable 34 to coupling member 176 moving it through paths defined by a "flower-petal cam 198 formed by a channel 200 provided in bottom wall 20 and engaged by a cam follower 202 carried by coupling member 176. Cam follower 202 is adapted to engage a plurality of guide members 204 (FIG. 2), 206, 208 and 210 sequentially and guide the third stop member 174 into engagement with an associated semi-circular end wall portion 211 of channel 200 bringing the third stop member 174 into the path of travel of the first stop member 172 for arresting coupling member 176 while turntable 34 continues to rotate bringing the first stop member 172 into engagement with the third stop member 174. The cam follower 202, the guide members 204, 206, 208 and 210 and the end wall portions 211 comprise a second stop member for stopping the coupling member 176 after a predetermined amount of movement with the turntable 34.

The cam 198 includes four segments each including an arcuate portion 212 (FIG. 2) for guiding cam follower 202 circumferentially. Each arcuate portion 212 has an inlet opening 214 and an outlet opening 216. The segments also each includes a straight portion 218 doubling back radially inwardly alongside an arcuate portion 212 between the outer periphery of cam 198 and cylindrical cavity 22 from an associated one of the end wall portions 211 to another end wall portion 238. The straight portions 218 guide the third stop member 174 into and out of the path of travel of the first stop member 172. Guide members 204, 206, 208 and 210 are each formed by providing a ramp 220 in an associated arcuate portion 212. Each ramp 220 is wedged shaped having its thin end 222 adjacent an associated inlet opening 214 and its thick portion forming an associated one of the guide members 204, 206, 208 and 210 at an associated outlet opening 216. Cam follower 202 working in cam 198 under the influence of the motion imparted to coupling member 176 by turntable 34 causes the indexing mechanism 10 to operate as a two axis ratchet ratcheting in-and-out in straight portions 218 of cam 198 and up-and-down on ramps 220.

It is to be understood that the combination of the turntable 34 and the record 40 are considered broadly to comprise a record member" or a rotatable member.

Operation of the indexing mechanism 10 will be described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 and 5 wherein the cam 144 is in its FIG. 3 position permitting tone arm 76 to track the outer set of grooves 44. It is to be understood, however, that indexing mechanism 10 will operate in the same manner when cam 144 is rotated to a position where stop 146 positions tone arm 76 for tracking the inner set of grooves 48. Referring now more in particular to FIG. 3, needle 78 has just tracked from lead-in 50 to the end of the first recorded saying on record 40 and cam follower 202 is bottomed-out" against end wall portion 238 of straight portion 218 of cam 198 opposite lead-in groove 52 for saying number 2. Drawstring 118 may now be actuated by pulling it in the direction of arrow 224 for rewinding spring 102 (FIGS. 1 and 2). This will cause spring arbor 108 to rotate turntable 34 and record 40 counterclockwise in the direction of arrow 226 (FIG. 3) through clutch plate 162 (FIG. 1). counterclockwise rotation of record 40 and turntable 44 moves cam follower 202 in the direction of arrow 228 (FIG. 3) along straight portion 218 of cam 198 until cam follower 202 reaches the broken line position shown in FIG. 3 where cam follower 202 is bottomed-out against guide member 208 and endwall portion 211 of channel 200. This positions stop member 174 in the path of travel of stop member 172 and overcomes the friction exerted by pads 196 on turntable 34 so that record 40 and turntable 34 may continue to rotate bringing stop 172 around to stop member 174 for engagement therewith whereupon the friction exerted by clutch plate 162 is overcome so that record 40 and turntable 34 remain stationary with lead-in groove 52 at its FIG. 4 position.

Initial pulling of drawstring 118 carried tone arm 76 to its FIG. 4 position and continued pulling of drawstring 118 fully wound spring 102 while tone arm 76 and lead-in groove 52 remained in their FIG. 4 positions. Drawstring 118 may then be released permitting spring 102 to rotate record 40 clockwise in the direction of arrow 232 (FIG. 5 so that needle 78 will play message number 2. Initial rotation of record 40 in the direction of arrow 232 moves cam follower 202 along the path defined by arrow 234 in channel 200 from the broken line position shown in FIG. 5 to the solid line position shown therein where cam follower 202 is about ready to leave ramp 220 and drop off of guide member 206. Continued rotation of record 40 in the direction of arrow 232 causes cam follower 202 to follow the path defined by broken arrow 236 into straight portion 218 of cam 198 where cam follower 202 bottoms-out" against end wall portion 238 of straight portion 218. This interrupts continued movement of coupling member 176 with turntable 34 moving stop member 174 out of the way of stop member 172.

When drawstring 118 is again actuated to rewindspring 102, cam follower 202 will move out of straight portion 218 into engagement with end wall portion 211 of the arcuate portion 212 which has its inlet opening 214 adjacent guide member 206 where stop member 174 will be in position to be engaged by stop member 172 on the next revolution of record 40 in a counterclockwise direction during the rewinding of spring 102. This will bring lead-in groove 53 into position under needle 78 so that message number 3 will be played next.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that indexing mechanism causes phonograph toy 12 to play all four messages sequentially. It will also be apparent that more or less than four messages may be played sequentially by changing the number of segments employed on cam 198 and that the indexing mechanism will work in the opposite direction by reversing the ramps 220.

While the particular indexing mechanism herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a phonograph device having a record member movably mounted on said device and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, each of said sound sequences having a starting position which depends upon the position of said record member and which differs from the starting position of any other sound sequence, an indexing mechanism for moving said record member to said starting-positions sequentially, said indexing mechanism comprising:

means for moving said record member;

first stop means carried by said record member;

friction coupling means engaged with said record member for movement thereby;

second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member;

third stop means carried by said coupling means; and

means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.

2. In a phonograph device having a record member rotatably mounted in said device on a spindle and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, driving means mounted on said device and drivrngly connected to said record member for moving said record member in a first direction an amount to reproduce one of said sound sequences individually, manually-operable means connected to said record member for positioning said record member to reproduce another of said sound sequences when said record member is again moved in said first direction, and indexing means on said device and movable into engagement with said record member for stopping said record member in a predetermined position when said record member is moved in said other direction, whereby, upon repeated operations of said manually-operable means, said discrete sound sequences are reproduced in predetermined order, the improvements comprising:

first stop means carried by said record member;

friction coupling means mounted in said device in operative association with said record member said coupling means including a plate having an elongated opening provided therein, said elongated opening encompassing said spindle, said coupling means also including resilient fingers carried by said plate and frictionally engaging said record member for movement thereby;

second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member;

third stop means carried by said coupling means; and

means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.

3. The improvement stated in claim 2 wherein said means for moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means comprises:

cam means including channel means extending into and out of said path of travel; and

cam follower means affixed to said plate and engaged in said channel means.

4. The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means engageable by said cam follower.

5. The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said record member is a disc-type phonograph record having a lead-in groove for each sound sequence, said lead-in grooves being circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said record, wherein said channel means includes arcuate portions for moving said third stop means circumferentially and straight portions extending radially inwardly from said arcuate portions for moving said third stop means out of said path-oftravel when said record is moved in said first direction and into said path-of-travel when said record is moved in said other direction and wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means at the junction of each arcuate portion and its associated straight portion. 

1. In a phonograph device having a record member movably mounted on said device and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, each of said sound sequences having a starting position which depends upon the position of said record member and which differs from the starting position of any other sound sequence, an indexing mechanism for moving said record member to said starting positions sequentially, said indexing mechanism comprising: means for moving said record member; first stop means carried by said record member; friction coupling means engaged with said record member for movement thereby; second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member; third stop means carried by said coupling means; and means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.
 2. In a phonograph device having a record member rotatably mounted in said device on a spindle and having recorded thereon a plurality of discrete sound sequences arranged to be separately reproduced, driving means mounted on said device and drivingly connected to said record member for moving said record member in a first direction an amount to reproduce one of said sound sequences individually, manually-operable means connected to said record member for positioning said record member to reproduce another of said sound sequences when said record member is again moved in said first direction, and indexing means on said device and movable into engagement with said record member for stopping said record member in a predetermined position when said record member is moved in said other direction, whereby, upon repeated operations of said manually-operable means, said discrete sound sequences are reproduced in predetermined order, the improvements comprising: first stop means carried by said record member; friction coupling means mounted in said device in operative association with said record member said coupling means including a plate having an elongated opening provided therein, said elongated opening encompassing said spindle, said coupling means also including resilient fingers carried by said plate and frictionally engaging said record member for movement thereby; second stop means for stopping said coupling means after a predetermined increment of movement with said record member; third stop means carried by said coupling means; and means moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means coincident with the stopping of said coupling means by said second stop means.
 3. The improvement stated in claim 2 wherein said means for moving said third stop means into the path of travel of said first stop means comprises: cam means including channel means extending into and out of said path of travel; and cam follower means affixed to said plate and engaged in said channel means.
 4. The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means engageable by said cam follower.
 5. The improvement stated in claim 3 wherein said record member is a disc-type phonograph record having a lead-in groove for each sound sequence, said lead-in grooves being circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said record, wherein said channel means includes arcuate portions for moving said tHird stop means circumferentially and straight portions extending radially inwardly from said arcuate portions for moving said third stop means out of said path-of-travel when said record is moved in said first direction and into said path-of-travel when said record is moved in said other direction and wherein said second stop means includes an end wall in said channel means at the junction of each arcuate portion and its associated straight portion. 